Cynthia Nixon to Direct Landmark Lesbian Play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove on Broadway; Ellen DeGeneres & More to Produce

January 13th, 2020 | By Andy Lefkowitz

Jane Chambers’ groundbreaking lesbian-themed play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove will receive a 40th-anniversary production on Broadway this year. Two-time Tony winner Cynthia Nixon will direct the drama, which will be produced by Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner and Harriet Newman Leve. Production dates and venue will be announced soon.

Set in 1980, the play takes place at Bluefish Cove, a lesbian beachside haven where Lil Zalinski and her close-knit group of friends take refuge each summer to live and love freely. When a straight woman named Eva wanders unknowingly into their midst, she sends the Cove into a tailspin and knocks Lil off her feet.

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove debuted off-Broadway in 1980 at the Actors’ Playhouse in a production directed by Nyla Lyon and starring Jean Smart as Lil and Susan Slavin as Eva. Casting for the 2020 Broadway production will be announced at a later date.

The upcoming main-stem staging will be Broadway’s first production with an all-female creative team and cast.